Mutant In Orange
by FullMoonPoet17
Summary: "Well you were able to pull some strings to get you on my visitors list; so why dontcha pull some more and get me outta here." The snicker that played across the girl's lips reminded Xavier of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland and he knew this case was going to be difficult. Of course nothing good came easy and she still had 6 more months.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hello. This is my new story that suddenly popped into my head so I'm not really sure what's going to happen with this one or how often I'm going to update; its basically something I'm going to write while I have writer's block on my other stories. I hope you do enjoy it though and if I should continue with it please leave a review. Thank you~~**_

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><p>The sun was high in the blue sky as Charles watched his students play in the snowy yard below. Bobby formed a tiny snowball in his hands and threw it right at Kitty who dodged it with grace, the kind of grace she learned through her time being at the institute. After dodging Bobby's attack, Kitty formed her own snowball and tossed it at the blonde. The snow broke apart into tiny snowflakes as it crashed against his shoulder. A smile played on both of their lips as more students joined them.<p>

Charles clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth as he steered himself away from the window. A smile was on the Professor's lips as he rolled down towards the computer room that held his precious Cerebro, the mutant finder. With a light sigh Charles thought to himself how he would do a quick scan to see if any new mutants were discovering, or using their ability. Afterwards he will make his way outside to enjoy the sunlight and the joy his students' laughter brought him. The man set the cool metal helmet on his head and closed his eyes, focusing his power. Minutes passed by with Charles focusing, almost forgetting to breath. A rushed release of breath escaped his mouth as Cerebro detected someone.

Opening his eyes, Charles examined the new mutant. The man's brows crushed together in confusion as he read over the information that displayed in front of him. The mutant contained no birth name, only a nickname and only a brief description of her physical features. As the man read through his eyes laid on her location, all the joy that he possessed slipped out of him.

"Oh my." he whispered to himself, not sure what to do, "Guess I'll have to get some advice on this one." With those last words, Charles exited the room, calling Ororo, Hank and Logan to meet him in his office.

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><p>"Are you sure she is really there?" Hank asked, sitting in one of the red chairs with his legs crossed.<p>

"How are you so sure its a she?" Logan asked, picking at his nails.

"Well look at where she is. The only way it would be a male if they were an officer and judging by the description that Charles gave us I'm pretty sure its a girl." Ororo shot back in her African accent.

"Ororo and Hank are correct it must be a female. The only thing is how are we going to communicate with her." Charles laced his fingers together and stared at the mahogany desk in front of him.

"I'm sure you'll be able to think of something Charles. Maybe just go in and introduce yourself, throw a little money their way and you'll be running the joint." Logan chuckled at the thought, but silenced when he saw how serious Xavier took his words.

"That might be what I'll have to do. I'll leave in a few minutes, make sure the students know not to follow me or worry. I'll most likely be gone until after dinner." Charles wheeled himself out of the room, ignoring the protests from his colleges.

Once Xavier's vehicle was ready he began the one hour drive out-of-town, waving to the students he passed. Xavier felt his palms begin to sweat as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"No turning back now, Charles." he whispered to himself as the building sped by him.

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><p>"Hey anyone know where Cheshire is?" a gruffly, heavy-set woman spoke into her radio, her expression showing how displeased she was with her job. After getting a reply she sighed in frustration deepening the wrinkles around her mouth, and walked away from her post.<p>

The woman released the breath in her lungs as she entered a spacious rooms full of blue, plastic chairs and a few small, round tables. She scanned the room, her eyes checking out every person in the room until she found the one she was looking for. She strolled over to young woman, who was sitting at one of the tables with a few other girls. The three of them were laughing and smiling until they saw the grumpy woman appear.

"Uh-oh Cheshire, what'd you do know?" One of the girl's asked, a playful smirk on her dark face. The girl was pretty, even though she didn't have any makeup on, with a dark, coffee skin tone and dark brown eyes. Her hair was short, almost looking as if she shaved it a few weeks ago.

"Hey, I didn't do nothing...yet." A second girl smirked as she laughed out the last word.

"Look all you did was not show up even though you have a visitor. Now get up and follow me." the woman said, signaling for the girl to follow.

"I thought that was a joke. I don't even have anyone to visit me, my list is empty." the girl rose from her chair, thinking it was all one big joke being played on her. There was only one other woman in here that never had visitors and they didn't really speak to each other.

"No joke, he's waiting for you."

"He?" the girl asked questions as she followed the woman down the winding hallways towards the visitor's room.

"Yup, he." The woman spit the word at the girl and waved for her to enter the room.

"So who is he?" The girl whispered as she glanced at the room. In the right corner was a hispanic woman, her long hair tied back with a hair tie. Across from her was a man with different tattoos decorating his body and he was holding a young infant. "Damn, Maria's kid is gettin' big." she whispered, scanning the room again. There were the usual visiting room people, most of them crying and trying to touch the other's hand when no one was looking. Some had a stone cold face as if they were being visited by one of the skeletons in their closets.

The only person that stood out sat in the center of the room. He sat in a silver wheelchair and wore an ironed, black suit with a red tie. His fingers laced with each other and sat on the table as he waited patiently for whoever he was here to visit to arrive. The florescent lights reflected off his bald head and she noticed how the soft smirk on his face didn't waiver even as she sat down across from him.

"Hello, my name is Charles Xavier." he spoke clearly, pronouncing each word slowly as if he thinking she didn't speak english or was just stupid.

"So you some sorta lawyer? Cause I already got one of them, even though I'm looking for another one." Cheshire crossed her arms and put her feet on the table, trying to be as distant from the man as possible.

"I am not a lawyer although I could be if you wanted me to. I stopped by to speak with you, miss?" he dragged out the 's' as if waiting for her to give out her name.

"Cheshire. The name's Cheshire. You already knew that though cause you had to say it to be on visitor's list." Cheshire narrowed her eyes at him, trying to read what type of person he was and why he was really here.

"I did know you nickname, I was hoping you could give me your real name."

"I don't have one. Sorry, Cheshire is the only name I have." Cheshire rocked on the back two legs of her chair.

"Well Miss Cheshire, I wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Okay shoot. If I don't want to answer though I won't."

"That's fair, just say pass. Okay?"

"Alright."

"How long are you here for?"

"Six more months."

"Why are you in here?"

"Pass."

"How old are you?"

"Pass."

"Who are your parents?"

"Pass."

"Will you answer any of these questions?" Charles asked, his eye slightly twitching in agitation.

"I answered one. Maybe I'll answer another, depends." Cheshire clicked her tongue at the man, a smirk growing on her face.

"Why do they call you Cheshire?"

"Cause I disappear."

"You disappear? How?"

"Magic. Complete and utter magic."

"I'll ask again. How do you disappear?"

"I don't know. It just happens, sometimes I want it to and sometimes I don't."

"You don't have complete control over it?"

"No I don't that's what I just said. Sometimes I just disappear without knowing why and then I end up in weird places."

"You travel?"

"Not outside here but yeah."

"When was the last time this happened? When you disappeared and appeared in a different place?"

"Yesterday."

"What happened?"

"Pass."

"I'm sorry but I really do need to know so I can help you."

"Why do you want to help me?"

"Cause I want to help everyone that is special, like you. So please tell me what happened."

With a deep sigh Cheshire spoke.

"It was during dinner. I stood up when I was done eatin' and threw my food away I was outside the doors when it happened. I found myself outside on the track in the freezing snow without a jacket. I don't even know how I got outside."

"Cheshire, I believe you carry the X-gene. A genetic mutation that gives you this amazing gift."

"It's not a gift, I don't know what it is."

"It's a gift, Cheshire, a special gift. There are others with the same gift as you and they are back at my school, the Xavier Institute for the Gifted."

"Why are you telling me all this? I still have six months in here."

"Yes but those six months will go by very quickly and when you are out you will have a home waiting for you, if you'd like."

"A home? Really?" Cheshire lowered her feet to the ground and leaned on the table, getting closer to the man.

"Yes a home that can help you control your gift."

"I'll think about it." Cheshire said, getting up from her seat and walking away. She didn't bother with saying goodbye, knowing she would see the man again.

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><p>Charles sighed, relieved that he was able to meet the girl even though it cost him over a thousand dollars to see her. He was shocked that she looked so young, almost as if she was a teenager.<p>

The conversation with Cheshire replayed in his head. She was very reluctant to answer most of his questions, which wasn't very shocking to him. Most people in her position don't want to talk about their past. He was shocked, however, that she seemed so happy to hear about a home waiting for her. Although she didn't smile at him, her actions spoke. She kept him at a distance through the entire conversation, only when he mentioned the institute did she let him near.

"Hopefully she'll make the right choice and be free of this place forever." he said, hopefully as he got into his car.

After checking out with the security Charles drove back home. He looked in the rearview mirror as the sun set behind the Bayville Woman's Correctional Facility.


	2. Chapter 2

Cheshire rose from her slumber and scrapped the sleep from her eyes with her fingers. After blinking numerous times so her eyes wouldn't be blurry the girl glanced around. Nothing changed in this place, almost as if it was frozen in time.

"Hey glad to see you're awake. Better hurry before you miss breakfast; its pancakes and sausage." a heavy-set woman with star tattoos across her pale cheek smiled down at the girl as she got dressed.

"Oh yeah? Let me guess you gave your salute to someone straight? No meat in your pink." Cheshire chuckled at her joke as did the woman, whose eyes trailed up and down Cheshire's slim tan body.

"Oh you know me too well Chesh. How about I put my meat in your pink?" the woman licked her pink, chapped lips seductively still checking out the girl as she pulled a beige shirt over herself.

"Sorry I've already seen your meat and the way you work it. Not interested unless your bigger than 6 inches." Cheshire winked at the lady and walked out of the room, leaving the woman to follow after her.

"Damn you cold Chesh. Why don't you let anyone close to you?"

"What are you talkin' about? I let plenty of people get close to me. There's Mona and Andrea, um, Stacy and Tasti."

"Wow didn't know you were a poet, rhyming all your names and shit."

"Oh hush, Leah. I rhymed Stacy and Tasti. That's not poetic or a poem." the two girls giggled as they entered the giant cafeteria. Guards spaced around the room and hung at the walls watching everyone that entered and what they were doing. The two prisoners stalked through the crowds, being ignored by the different 'clicks'.

Cheshire grabbed a pale yellow tray that had four little places for food to sit in. She grabbed a glass full of pale, red, sugarless koolaid and started down the line for food. Two lukewarm pancakes with a tiny slice of butter, one shriveled sausage link and a stale biscuit. She scoffed at the food, pivoted on her foot and headed towards her only friends.

In the center of the cafeteria were the 'whites', beside them were the Hispanics then the country folks. On the other side of the 'whites' were the 'blacks' and behind them were the elderly. Other groups spaced out but the grouping was still based on ethnicity and age. Cheshire believed it was sad how one would normally see these clicks in highschool based dramas but they were really in prison.

"Yo, you gonna just walk right by us Chesh?" a woman mocked at Cheshire, drawing her out of her mind and back into the cafeteria. The woman was only a little bit older than Cheshire; she had long blonde hair that pushed onto one shoulder and green eyes that had dulled over the months of her being here.

"Shit, guess I got caught up in my thoughts." Cheshire took a step back so she was able to set her tray down before pulling out a chair and sitting at the table.

"No worries, glad I was able to catch you attention before you got shanked by the elderly." the blonde laughed and forced a smile to Cheshire's lips.

"Yeah you always gettin' my attention Stacy." Cheshire giggled as the words escaped Leah's mouth.

"Oh I get your attention? How about I get it some more after breakfast? I think we better do some praying." Stacy smirked at the tattooed girl as she sat beside Cheshire.

"Damn you two have more hormones than any teenage boy I ever met." the girl beside Stacy groaned. Her name was Mona, which everyone mainly pronounced it as Moaner just to get a rise out of her. She had short curly brown hair and dull blue eyes and the smallest lips Cheshire had every seen on a person.

"Hey, anyone seen Andrea?" Cheshire asked, scanning the tiny room for her friend.

"Isn't she your bunk mate?" Stacy asked, biting into the pancakes.

"Well yeah but she wasn't there when I woke up, thought I'd see her here for breakfast."

"Well she might be in the showers, taking your hot water again." Leah stated, trying to make a joke out of the numerous times Cheshire had to take a cold shower in the morning since Andrea used up the hot water for the both of them.

"Nah, her shower would've been over by now." Cheshire said, picking at the pancakes in front of her.

"Guys! Guys! You'll never guess what's happened!" Bursting through the doors and running over to the girls came an average height red-head with crazy curly hair.

"Wow Crazy. Calm down before you get escorted out of here then tell us what happened." Cheshire grinned as Crazy took a seat next to Mona.

"Okay okay, your right." Crazy took a deep breath, "So I was walking towards the shower when I saw two guards escorting someone to S.C. and you'll never guess who."

"Then tell us." Leah said, never liking the guessing game that Crazy loved to play.

"Andrea. They said something about her needing to sweat shit out."

"Wait she's in S.C.? How'd she look? Did you get a good look at her?" Cheshire asked, anger rising to her throat from her stomach.

"Yeah, yeah I did. She was scratching at her arms and convulsing; oh and sweating pretty bad."

"Motherfucker, she's detoxing!" Cheshire said, her voice barely above a yell.

"Wait, how can she be detoxing now? She's been in here for over two years."

"Well that's the fifth person this week to go to S.C. for detox, maybe this cheap ass place will finally hold an investigation." Cheshire glanced over at one at the guards. She was a tall slender woman who tied her raven black hair up in a tight bun at the top of her head. She had a smirk on her painted face, as if she enjoyed the pain she inflicted on the addicts in this prison.

"Damn, that's messed." Leah said as they all grabbed their trays, threw out their half eaten food and existed to go to work.

"Not so fast Cheshire. You've got other things to do than go to the Library." the guard with the black hair called at the young girl.

"Yeah and what's that?" Cheshire asked, spitting the words at the guard. She didn't flinch at the words, instead she flicked her fingers at Cheshire and lead her in the opposite direction of everyone else.

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><p>Charles waited patiently in a small room, drumming his fingers against a small wooden desk. As the minutes ticked by Charles took a look around in the tiny room. There was clear, plastic wall that separated the room with holes in it to allow air and conversations. On the other side of the wall was a plastic, blue chair that had straps on the legs and arm rests. A cold sweat starting to break across his forehead as simple thought of what might have happened in this room played in his mind. Another fear began to itch its way into his mind, <em>what if Cheshire was in this room before? <em>The fear in Charles stomach wasn't from the thought but from the curiosity that the thought provoked inside him. He was curious about this young girl and he would do anything to dive inside her mind and figure everything about her out.

Charles vigorously shook his head of the thoughts. He made a promise to himself long ago that he would never do such a thing to anyone. It was cruel and an invasion of their privacy. He was above using his ability selfishly and he had an entire facility that respected and trusted him.

Charles stopped shaking his head as the noise of a door opening captured his attention. With wide eyes, Charles watched as Cheshire was escorted into the room by four guards. One exited the room, to stand guard in case she attempted to use her ability was Charles guess. Another stood by the chair while the last two strapped Cheshire down. Charles expected the girl to have a mixed look of fear of anger but once the guards moved out of the way all she had on was a grin; a grin that stretched across her cheeks towards her ears and showed her yellow tinted teeth.

"Hello Cheshire, do you remember who I am?" Charles asked, resting his hands on the desk.

"Yeah, your the bald guy that visited me two weeks ago. I was beginning to think that you forgot about me." Sarcasm laced her words and the grin never wavered.

"I would never forget about a fellow mutant, especially in your case."

"My case? You mean prison?" Cheshire attempted to slouch in her chair and bring her feet up, just like she did when they first met but the restraints kept her in place.

"No. By case I mean the reason why you are in here." Charles picked up his hands and opened the beige folder in front of him.

"What, what the hell is that?" Cheshire asked, straining her neck to try to look.

"Its your record, your criminal record. I also have a few personal records."

"Why do you have those? Are you some sorta stalker?"

"No, nothing of the sorts. In your case I wanted to look into why you are here before I allow you to enter the safety of my home. I want to take care of you as if you were my own child but I need to believe that you won't harm my other children."

"So you know everything?"

"Not exactly. There are tons of gaps in your personal records. There's hardly any schools listed past 6th grade."

"I never made it to 7th."

"How? Everyone goes through middle school and high school but you don't have any listed."

"Cause I never made it. I was first arrested in the 6th grade, its in there look under armed robbery." Charles took a deep breath before skimming over the papers in front of him.

"It says here you held a convenient store at gun point. How is that possible, you were so young."

"Well you gotta do what you gotta do to survive."

"It says here that you lived in a two bedroom home in a very nice neighborhood with your mother."

"Yeah I knew a hacker that changed some information to make it look like I wasn't really living on the streets."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Like I said you gotta do what you gotta do to survive." Charles noticed that Cheshire pulled at the straps, straining them so they would eventually break.

"Have you been in this room before, or a similar room?" he asked, trying to change the direction of the conversation.

"Yeah, twice when they first discovered my abilities."

"The guards know of your mutant ability?"

"Yeah, they all know well except the newbies."

The conversation continued for another hour before Charles decided to leave. He watched as two guards entered the room, unstrapped Cheshire and exited. The man sighed in relief that he was able to get a little bit more information out of the girl but with every questioned she answered she also struck more questions within the man. She was a confusing young girl and Charles wasn't sure if he could trust the information put in front of him. If she had a hacker friend then a lot of these documents could be wrong and that worried Charles more than he would've liked it to.

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><p>Cheshire let the guards guide her through the hallways that she walked everyday. They turned and twisted through the paths, ignoring anyone that was lounging around. Cheshire walked past the rec room and cafeteria, past the bathrooms and the door that led outside to the track. The young girl found herself outside the doorway that led to her cell block.<p>

She let out a soft sigh of sadness as she noticed that Andrea wasn't in her own bed across from Cheshire's. She felt uneasy crawling into bed with people surrounded her while Andrea was trapped in a single cell with an old, worn out bed and a stained toilet with sink. She imagined her blonde friend curled up on the bed, sweat soaking her clothes as she shivered vigorously.

"Yo, why were you takin' away today?" Leah asked, sitting up on her bed so she could see over the brick wall.

"Yeah we saw them taking you down No Return Hall." Mona pitched in from her bed across from Leah's.

"Yea they took me down to Looneyville."

"Seriously? Did you have another episode? What happened?" Leah asked, her voice ringing through the area and drawing everyone to them.

"It wasn't because of an episode, I'm getting some sort of treatment or something." Cheshire claimed, looking out her tiny window. The sun was barely shining through a thick layer of gray clouds, threatening to drown them in a downpour of rain.

"Treatment? Like shock therapy?" Mona asked, her eyes widening.

"No nothing like that. It's just treatment about my disappearing act." Cheshire said, rising from her seat and walking away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Leah asked, rising to follow.

"Gonna go watch some tv. Way to bored in here."


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Swearing. This chapter does contain a bit of swearing if you do not like that well my apologies but that's just the way these people talk.**

"You know what I can't stand?" Leah raised her voice so that everyone in the tiny room could hear them.

"Just make your racist point and let's get back to the game alright?" Cheshire rolled her eyes and shuffled the stained deck of cards in her hands. Most of the cards were bent, ripped and all around stained but they were still usable enough to play Groups and Runs with other people. The current players were Leah, Cheshire, Mona and Andrea. The small group didn't really pay attention to points since they didn't have any paper to write everything down.

"I wasn't going to be racist thank you very much Chesh."

"Well then will ya shut it, its your turn to deal." Cheshire slammed the cards in front of the heavy woman, glaring until she began passing cards to everyone.

"What I was gonna say was how I hate how the religious bitches keep shoving their shit down my throat. I don't believe in what you believe in deal with it." Leah growled, passing out the last card and putting the remaining in the center.

"Oh shit what happened now?" Mona said, matching cards together in her delicate, bruised hands.

"I was just dropping my laundry off so they could wash it and do what they do when that brown-haired bitch preaches how she won't wash my shit unless I get on my knees and beg God for forgiveness. What the hell, I don't have shit that need forgivin'. I'm a god damn saint."

"Yeah cause most people that create fake credit card accounts are using the money to help the homeless." Cheshire grinned, putting down a few cards.

"Well I did give you a box that one time." Leah laughed. Her laughter only grew when Cheshire threw a few cards at her.

"If I remember correctly you took my box, cut a hole in it then gave it back to me with two pennies in it after I chased you down two blocks, in the rain."

"Through the beautiful streets of New York City and if I remember you smeared dirt on my new fur coat."

"Damn straight, you bitch."Cheshire joined the girl in laughing about their past. They didn't realise then that people who seemed to be better than her actually weren't and that eventually everyone ends up in one place, one way or another.

"Did you two ever meet up after that little encounter?" Mona asked, the game almost forgotten.

"Not that I can recall cause she left my box at Central Park and I met Andrea like an hour after that." Cheshire said, racking her brain for any other encounter with Leah.

"Yeah, I was arrested four days after that then we remet two weeks later." Leah grinned, shaking her head slightly.

"Man its crazy how we've all been in here for like two years." Andrea put her thoughts in, dropping her cards on the table.

"You two have been in here, remember I was in here for a month then they found out my age so I was released." Cheshire put in, also dropping her cards and ending the game.

"I was pretty sad when you showed back up like a year later." Andrea said, getting an approval nod from Leah.

"Well shit happens." The girl said, pulling her brown hair from the messy bun she kept it in. Her hair had a light curl in it and fell to the middle of her back, she liked to keep it out-of-the-way while she went through her days in Hell.

"Shit always happens to you though. You got daddy issues, mommy issues. Shit you even got uncle issues like who has that?" Tasti appeared behind Cheshire with a tiny smirk on her face.

"Me, that's who. The main thing you got at with that little sentence is I have family issues which isn't true."

"Its way true girl and you know that. That's why the only person you close to is Andrea." Cheshire rose to her feet, trying to come face to face with Tasti. Of course she didn't being the shortest person in the entire facility, she only reached Tasti's shoulders.

"She's the only one that's proven she can be trusted." she whispered a smirk on her face as she vanished into the background.

"Fuck, wish I could do that." Tasti said, flinching as the door slammed shut behind her.

* * *

><p>Cheshire strolled through the hallways, not really heading in a certain direction. One glance at a nearby clock showed that her weekly 2 p.m. appointment with the bald man. She loathed every meeting they had. The way his tiny eyes burned into her gaze, even after she moved her eyes away. She always felt as if he was judging her, making an inside comment about every little thing she said; which is why she tried to talk as little as possible.<p>

"Cheshire, I bet you can tell me where we're going." A male officer grabbed the girl by the arm, yanking her towards Hell. The man was tall and tough in build, his arm muscles bulged under the long-sleeved blue shirt he wore.

It didn't take long for three more guards to join him at the door. It was the same routine every time; three guards waited and as soon as Cheshire was in view they opened the door and seated her down with straps around her wrists and ankles. Just like everything else in this place nothing changed, it was all routine.

"Hello Cheshire, how are you?" His opening never changed, as soon as the guards were out and they were alone he said the same thing.

"Hello, fine." her answer never changed, neither did her facial expression.

"Just fine? Aren't you happy that you get out tomorrow?" he cracked his head to the side, most likely secretly laughing at her for hiding how excited she was to finally leave.

"I'll be out for a while but then I'll break probation and be right back where I started." Even when she is free, nothing changes. She will mix up with the wrong guy who will screw her over and leave her to take the blame for everything.

"Not this time, I will make sure that you stay on the right path."

"It never changes Baldy, it never changes."

"And why do you say that?" He laces his fingers together and rests his head on top of them, she can barely make out his knuckles turning red as his chin digs into them.

"It happens every time I'm free. I get out for a few months then something happens and I take the blame for everything."

"How many times has that happened?" His eyes narrowed at her, trying to burn themselves past her face and into her mind to read her darkest memories.

"About 5, maybe 6 times." a small smirk crossed the girl's face while she watched the bald man recompose himself after taking a shock.

"So many times, I will make sure it doesn't happen again." he muttered to himself, taking a few deep breaths. Cheshire's smirk didn't lessen even after the man stopped mumbling to himself.

"So we done here?" she asked, already feeling her feet beginning to fade away. The sensation of disappearing was always different and depended on how she did it. If she was being slow then it only felt like a small tingle around her with a sudden warmth through her spine; but if she was scared or in a hurry then it almost hurt, like a lightening bolt struck through her and pain surged through her nerves. She liked to take it slow though because the warmth that engulfed her made her feel at peace, like this is what it must feel like to be hugged by someone.

"I don't want you to disappear just yet, Ms. Cheshire." the man's words cut Cheshire's concentration and the warmth that began to grow quickly vanished just as her feet reappeared. She swore at the man under her breath and tried to hide her anger under a smile.

"Well then quit muttering to yourself and let's get this rolling again." she spat the words at the man, her smile still on her face.

"Very well. I'd like you to tell me about your family, if you don't mind." She hated this and he knew it. He always wanted her to spill about her past or the family that never cared. Drawing up the memories would be to painful and she hated the way tears stung her eyes.

"I told you everything."

"No you didn't, I knew you would lie to me so I did a little more digging." Xavier leaned down the side of his chair where a tiny case laid by his feet. He picked up and unlatched the locks, sending an annoying noise through the tiny room.

"So what were able to dig up?" she asked, her smile fading as she began to recognize the papers the man was pulling out.

"Foster home records, adoption agencies. You had a very busy childhood that was full of moving around. Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"It wasn't important. Its still not important."

"If you believe it wasn't important then you would have the smile on your face still. So please, tell me everything you remember." She was shocked that he noticed the disappearance of her smile and that she used it as cover for anything. He must've been taking some serious notes about her behavior if he could notice something as small as how much she smiles and why.

"No, I'd rather disappear." with the smirk back on her face, Cheshire quickly vanished from his sight before he could do anything about it.

The girl found herself a few minutes later on her bed, clutching her stomach and convulsing. She hated the after effects of disappearing quickly, the pain and shaking with the over whelming feeling that was going to vomit.

"Damn don't you look like shit." Leah commented as she leaned against the wall and looked down at Cheshire.

"Give me a few minutes...and I'll make...you feel worse...than me." Cheshire choked out, her smile slowly appearing.

"You'll need more than a few minutes in the condition you're in." Leah laughed, clutching her sides.

"Oh man, look at you!" Andrea rushed to her roommates side and kneeled beside her bed.

"Don't worry...I look...worse than I feel." a small chuckle escaped Cheshire's lips.

"Don't you lie to me. Look at you curled up on your bed, shaking. Plus your fucking white as snow." Andrea laid her hand on Cheshire's forehead, delicately trying to see if she was running a fever.

"I'm tellin' you I'm fine." Cheshire swatted Andrea's hand away and rolled over so she was facing the wall and everyone was behind her.

"Hey Leah, I think its time for you to get lost." Andrea shot at the heavy girl, making her know that her presence was no longer wanted.

"Well fine then, see you two bitches later." Leah flipped the girls the bird as she walked away from the scene, most likely heading towards the gym.

"Alright, spill." Andrea said, sitting next to the curled up Cheshire on the small bed.

"Nothing to spill."

"Bull, I know you don't just poof out of a situation so quickly."

"What makes you say I just 'poofed' away so fast?" Cheshire asked, the pain had finally subsided and she was able to talk and breathe normally.

"You told me it only hurts when you do it fast and I've seen this shit before. You forget I've been your bunkmate since the first time you were thrown in here."

"Damn, that was like a year and a half ago." Cheshire reminisced with her friend, both of them staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, you really are a dumb kid you know that?"

"Yeah, I know but you ain't to bright either."

"True, true. So you gonna tell me what happened or do I have to wait until you're thrown in here again?"

"That stupid bald man and his dumb questions, I got fed up and left."

"What did he ask you? You normally just deny him an answer so it must've been something serious."

"He was asking me about the old broad, like I want to look back into the past. Its bad enough I'm basically followin' in her footsteps."

"What makes you say that? You don't really talk about your mom, not even to me." Andrea claimed, laying a reassuring hand on Cheshire's knee.

"I remember when she first stole me out of foster care, she told me how the first time she was ever institutionalized was when she was 16 years old. She claimed it scared the shit out of her and that she didn't really want it for me."

"But didn't she take you with her to rob a bank?"

"Yup, my ma ain't to bright, like me I guess." Cheshire's smile didn't return to her face, making Andrea worry about her friend.

"Well let's cheer you up, there's some sort of going away party for you down at the tv room. Let's go check it out, everyone's dyeing to say goodbye to you." Andrea took Cheshire's hand and the two raced down the hallways, knowing this could be the last time they do so.


	4. Chapter 4

Today should be a good day; a happy one at least. Yet Cheshire found herself filled with dread as the guards escorted her through the halls. She had spent the morning packing her belongings and she could hear the tiny items jingle behind her as a guard carried the old wooden box. Prisoners and guards parted down the hallway, allowing them to pass through the center; many of the familiar faces had smiles and some even wished her luck on the outside. With a smirk on her face to hide the fear, Cheshire waved them all goodbye.

A small cloud formed in front of her mouth as Cheshire entered the frigid outside. The middle of winter was always the coldest and Cheshire found herself filled with joy at the thought of being somewhere warm during the freezing nights. Cheshire could feel the silver cuffs around her wrists begin to frost over even though she had only been outside for a few minutes. The guards walked her over to a small, white bus that has clouds coming up from behind, signaling that it was running.

"Alright up on the bus, we will drop you off at the place written down by the office." the female guard to Cheshire's left nudged her forward, onto the bus and far away. Normally Cheshire would ask where she was going, since it changed every time she was released but she knew she was just wasting her warm breath, she already knew that Xavier made arrangements for her to go to his house so he could care for her; at least that's what he claimed.

Cheshire took her seat next to a window with a guard sitting next to her. Her right wrist was released from its cuff yet she was tied to a metal pole that ran across the seat in front of her. With the long trip ahead of her Cheshire decided to stretch her legs and rest her eyes and by the sigh that escaped beside her, she knew the guard was doing the same.

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><p>Cheshire's head rested on the cool window, until the bus came to a sudden and bumpy stop. Her head smacked into the glass and she could feel a small headache approaching. She wasn't sure how long she had been out but by the looks of the sun in the middle of the sky it was most likely a good hour or so.<p>

"You ready kid?" the guard next to her asked, a light smile on his aged face. Cheshire stared at his face, as if she was trying to memorize the wrinkles that surrounded his lips and the graying hair of his eyebrows that were barely above his dimly lit, green eyes. Cheshire suddenly found her mouth dry and her voice had vanished when she opened her mouth to reply to him, so she nodded and allowed him to un-cuff her from the seat but put the cuff back on her right wrist.

"No last words this time, Cheshire?" the female guard from before asked as Cheshire was led off the bus.

"Nah, not this time." the girl smirked, getting off the bus.

The sight before Cheshire stunned her and made her pause where she stood. A tall, grand mansion greeted the girl with marble pillars and a white brick entry floor. She gazed around to find an enormous swan fountain in the center of a large, green front yard. Two hedges circled the fountain with an assortment of flowers around it all. Past the fountain were tall, black gates that surrounded the entire area, allowing hundreds of acres of land. Cheshire and the guards both sighed in astonishment as they took in the sight before them.

"Damn I might need to get arrested next." the female guard claimed with a light giggle.

"Nah, you ain't as special as me." Cheshire joined her in a light giggle as the man turned and faced her. He held a tiny silver key in is old, calloused fingers. A light smile played on his chapped lips as he inserted the key into the cuffs, releasing the girl's wrists.

"Well Ms. Cheshire, you are now an offical free woman. I pray you do something good with this life that you have been given." The man laid a gentle kiss on the girl's forehead and she let out a light giggle. To anyone on the outside looking at them it would seem weird, terrifying almost at the look of such an intimate moment between a prisoner and a guard; but to these two they have been together since he first arrested her when she was twelve years old and then he's been at every meeting and releasing since, even when she was in Juvy.

"Hopefully when we meet again it won't be back there. It's been fun, Paul." Cheshire almost felt like crying, knowing that she may never see the old man again but she resisted any feeling she got.

"I hope to see you again, but not behind bars." the man gave her a pat on the shoulder and the woman gave her a quick squeeze on her arm before they both got back on the bus and drove away.

"Damn, that fucker almost made me cry." she whispered, grabbing her box and walking up to the front door. Cheshire hesitated at the front door, her hand hovering over the knob. A cold sweat began to break down her back, threatening to soak her shirt. She normally didn't fear the bald man but the only times they met there was a wall and chains separating them and the last time they spoke she vanished on him before giving him any answers.

Before Cheshire could make the decision to run or open the door, she heard the handle click open. The door creaked before her, opening up a grand foyer that held dozens of people. Most of them looked like teenagers or younger but there were a few adults scattered around. In the center of the group, sitting in a wheelchair was Xavier.

"Welcome to your new home, Cheshire." he greeted her, opening his arms to signal that the entire mansion was now where she belonged.

"H-hello." she stuttered out, not enjoying being the center of everyone's attention.

"Okay, everyone scatter. You can say your hellos after we get her situated." a large, muscular man barked orders and Cheshire watched as the children departed, heading their own separate ways. Only the adults stayed and Cheshire wasn't sure if she wanted to vanish or not.

"Don't be afraid Cheshire, we are all here to help you." Xavier said, a reassuring smile on his face.

"Yes, please do not fear us." An older woman said in an African accent, it reminded Cheshire of Olara back at the prison. Although the two were drastically different in appearances. The woman in front of Cheshire had long, silver hair that was tied back into the ponytail while Olara had gray hair that was short and wiry. The woman was also thin with muscular arms and legs, signaling she worked out quit often, Olara barely left her bed.

There were two other adults in the room. One was a large man covered in light blue fur, he wore glasses and underneath his nose Cheshire could see pure white fangs in his mouth. The next was a skinnier man, he wore a brown trench coat that matched his short hair.

"I'm not scared, this all just different." Cheshire claimed, taking a side step towards her box.

"You gonna introduce yourself then?" the man to the left of Xaviar growled, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Now Logan, there's no need to be so crude about it." Xaviar told the man, not looking in his direction.

"The names Cheshire." her name rolled off her tongue and she put her hands on her hips.

"Like the cat?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like the 'that's my name and you gotta deal wit' it'." Cheshire kicked up one side of her hips, leaning on that foot to give her more sas.

"Sassy little brat." Logan growled under his breath hoping she wouldn't hear.

"Ororo would you be so kind as to help Ms. Cheshire with her things and to show her to her room?" Xaviar asked. The woman with the accent walked towards Cheshire, holding out her hand.

"Hello Cheshire, my name is Ororo. It's nice to meet you."

"Ditto." Cheshire said, grabbing her box and waiting to follow Ororo; ignoring her hand. Ororo sighed and turned on her heel, leading the girl up grand, wooden stairs. She found herself almost slipping on the red rug that ran down the center of the stairs, a vibrant color against the deep cherry wood.

"Watch your step, the rug likes to trip new comers." Ororo laughed, using her peripheral vision to keep an eye on Cheshire.

"Yeah, no kiddin'." Cheshire growled, watching her feet as she carefully took each step. After the stairs Cheshire found herself staring down an almost endless hallway. The vibrant red rug was still in the center but the wooden stairs were replaced with white tiles. The walls were painted an off white color and there were countless light brown doors. There were name plates on the doors, each name written by different people. Jean and Rouge, Amara and Jubilee...the names went on and on; each door containing two names. Cheshire also found the names to be feminine, she couldn't find a single male name even though she saw men downstairs.

"This is the Girl's Wing. Everyone has a roommate except for teachers." Ororo explained, soothing Cheshire's confusion.

"So where is my room?" Cheshire asked, grimacing at the thought of having a roommate.

"Right here, Kathryn hasn't had a roommate since Tabitha left." Ororo said, motioning towards a door. The name plate had a single name on it, Kitty Pryde. The y's were swirled and the whole name was written very big and girly, a heart shape over the eye being the girly part. With the way the name was written Cheshire wondered how she would be able to fit her own name on the board.

"Okay, cool." Ororo handed Cheshire a small golden key and allowed her to use it to unlock the door. The room was huge with a large window across from the door. It fit two queen size beds, both made neatly and two dressers. Cheshire noticed a door next to each of the beds, signaling closets. She never had this much space before and she found herself running her fingers on what she assumed was her side of the room. There was a brown vanity with a large mirror and lights surrounding it. The other side of the room also had a vanity and Cheshire could see scattered containers of makeup.

"Well I will leave to get situated, Xavier was able to find where you were living before and arranged for everything to be brought here; its all on top of your bed." Ororo waved goodbye and closed the door behind her.

With a sigh Cheshire walked over to her bed to find a large black suitcase sitting on top of the navy blue comforter. After unzipping and opening the case, Cheshire found all her shirts, pants undergarments inside; she was shocked to find a small box full of her jewelry inside as well she was certain her roommates would've auctioned it off to make a quick profit.

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><p>Taking a few hours to herself to unpack and situate everything to her liking Cheshire heard a faint knock at the door. She looked over her shoulder to see it opening slowly. A girl stood in the doorway with a blinding white smile plastered on her tan face. She had brown hair that was tied in a pony tail and wore a light pink coat that looked thin with a pale yellow shirt underneath. Her blue jeans were rolled up to look more like capris and she also had on a yellow beaded necklace. Cheshire looked eyes with the girl, feeling the blue gaze pierce through her.<p>

"Hey, you must be my new roommate!" the girl squealed with joy and ran over to Cheshire. "My name is Kitty or ShadowCat, what's your name?" The girl asked, taking Cheshire's hands in her own.

"The names Cheshire." she took her hands back and patted down her legs, pretending to pat dust away.

"Awesome! So where did you live before coming here?" Kitty asked, jumping on her bed and looking at Cheshire.

"Xavier didn't tell you?" Cheshire asked, sitting down on her bed. One leg hung off the bed and touched the floor giving her a sense of security that she could bolt out of the room if she wanted.

"No he just said that a new student was joining us with an incredible ability and to not ask too many questions."

"Oh well I came from a place in upper New York."

"Yeah? Where?"

"I don't really feel like answering that right now." Kitty's face dropped but she quickly put the smile back on.

"Well no worries then you can tell me when you feel like it, how about we go down stairs and I can show you the arcade?" Kitty asked, jumping from her bed and holding out her hand for Cheshire.

"Sure, sounds fun I guess." Cheshire responded, getting up from her seat and signaling for Kitty to take the lead. Kitty's hand dropped as she passed by Cheshire, leading her out of the room.

The two girls made their way down the stairs then took a sharp turn, opening a large glass door Kitty lead them to a darker room filled with tv's, consols and games. There were two pool tables off in a corner and darts in another. A large case held the video games and couches were scattered around.

"What do you like to play?" Kitty asked, turning around to face the new girl.

"Um, I'm not really sure. I've never really had time to play a lot of games before." _Other than card games or charades_, she whispered to herself.

"Really? Well we have all the consols you could think of with all the games, there's pool or darts. We even have playing cards if you're into poker."

"Hey a game of poker sounds good." a husky voice sounded from one of the couches. A tall, teenage boy with short brown hair with bangs stood from his seat with a smile on his face.

"Oh hey Scott, I didn't see you in here." Kitty said.

"Hey now, I'm in here too." a German accent filled the room as another boy hopped out of his seat and in front of the two girls. He had blue fur over his body and sharp fangs. Cheshire also noticed a devilish looking tail swinging from side to side behind him.

"Kurt, you can't just jump at us like that!" Kitty yelled, Cheshire tried to withhold a giggle that erupted from her throat at how terrified Kitty got around the boy.

"Oh my bad, I'm sorry."

"No probs dude." Cheshire said, a smile on her face.

"Oh man, you must be the new student Professor was talking about! I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself yet. The names Scott Summers."

"And I'm Kurt." both men held out their hands, hoping the girl would shake them.

"I'm Cheshire. Nice to meet you guys." Cheshire waved at the boys, not taking their hands.

"Same here." both men replied with smiles on their faces.

"So, um Scott, what's up with the shades?" Cheshire asked, pointing to the sunglasses over Scott's eyes.

"Well they're prescription to keep my mutant ability at bay. I don't really have full control over it yet."

"What's you ability?" Cheshire asked, curiosity gnawing at her.

"I can shoot lasers from my eyes, its pretty cool but not really indoor friendly." Scott laughed, fixing his shades as if they had moved out of place.

"My ability is teleportation!" Kurt interrupted, and to prove his ability he began to teleport all over the room leaving a yellow cloud of sulfur behind him.

"Cool, must be helpful." Cheshire said, she turned her gaze to Kitty as if asking her what he ability is.

"I can phase through stuff, like walls, tables, chairs, doors." Kitty claimed, she demonstrated her ability by walking through one of the near by couches. "What can you do Cheshire?" all eyes were on her to demonstrate and Cheshire didn't know why but she didn't want to tell them.

"I can't really remember. I was only able to use it once and it happened to fast I wasn't able to grasp what was happening."

"Well this place is great at helping everyone use their gift and how to control it. I think you'll like it here if you open up to everyone." Scott said with a smile on his face.

"Veah, we're like one big family." Kurt jumped in.

"So Scott you mentioned earlier that poker sounded fun right? Well let's get started playing then." Cheshire said with a grin and followed the small group to a table. "So do you guys bet on anything or is it just for fun?"

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter and please leave me a review down below if you want to suggest anything that I should do or maybe an interaction that you want to see I will try my hardest to see what I can do. Thanks~~**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello everyone, sorry I haven't updated much. I'm trying to figure out the plot and how to lead up to it and now that I've got that sort of figured out I should be updating normally, hopefully. Anyway, I hope you like this new chapter and if you don't mind I do have a poll on my profile and I would like it if everyone would please take a moment to answer the question for me it will really help me move this story along. Thank you and happy reading!**

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><p>Kitty hummed Christmas carols while doing her makeup as Cheshire rose from her bed, wiping the sleep from her eyes.<p>

"Bought time you woke up. Breakfast will be ready in thirty minutes so you might want to get dressed." Kitty informed, claiming that she would wait until Cheshire was done so they could go down together.

"Thanks, won't take me long." Cheshire said, making her bed and grabbing a few clothes and a towel. She headed for the shower and marveled at how clean and white it was. There was no mold growing in the crack and a curtain that fall to the ground and raised high above her head. The water was hot and steam filled the air before she was able to strip down and step in. Cheshire shivered slightly as the hot water ran down her cleansing her of the good night's rest she got. She looked around to find a soap bar, razor, shampoo and conditioner and even body wash with a wash rag. The showers back at the prison only had soap bars and Cheshire spent a good about of time smelling the sweet fragrance the came from the bottles, the label reading cherry blossom bliss.

Cheshire spent a good amount of time washing herself off, not wanting to leave the hot water or the sweet smells but a knock at the door told her she had spent too much time. Quickly Cheshire turned off the water and exited the shower, steam covering the room. She wiped what she could off the mirror so she could see her reflection almost clearly. Cheshire examined how the bags under her eyes were getting a tad lighter since she's been at the mansion. Her stress has slowly been melting away but she knew it wouldn't last long, soon the bags would appear and she spend her nights wide awake with worry.

"Hey, you're going to be late!" Kitty's voice was accompanied by several knocks at the door.

"Cool it Kitty, I'm ready." Cheshire pulled a large gray sweatshirt over herself as she exited the bathroom and was instantly pulled into the hallway. Kitty spared no excuse as she grabbed hold of Cheshire's hand and phased them through the floor and into the center of the kitchen.

Cheshire witnessed the caoticness that was breakfast for the mutants. Everyone was running around, using their abilities to create something new or get the one treat they couldn't risk anyone else getting. She was shocked she hasn't grown accustomed to it and that everyday she forgot to duck for cover or try to find something to eat and then leave. She wouldn't mind vanishing and coming back a few minutes later when everyone left to do their own thing but she hasn't told anyone about her power. She decided to keep it a secret, her motives still unknown even to her and she was shocked that Xavier hasn't forced her to say anything.

"Yo Cheshire, heads up!" At the sound of her name Cheshire turned her head to find a slice of burnt toast soaring towards her. Before she could react and dodge she felt someone grab her hand, she prayed it was Kitty and that she was going phase her so the bread wouldn't hit her; instead Cheshire felt a sudden stir in her stomach and the room around her vanished.

"Sorry, I should've asked first." the thick german accent assured Cheshire that she could open her eyes and she found herself almost blinded by the brilliantly lit christmas tree.

"Um, its fine." Cheshire said, looking away from the tree and putting her face dangerously close to Kurt's. It was that instant that she realised that he was holding her in his arms and she quickly pushed him away, rubbing her arms as if she was cold.

"I am sorry, I know you don't really like it when people grab you but you seemed like you froze and that toast looked really hot and I didn't want you to get hurt well not that you look like a piece of toast would hurt you but still..." Kurt kept rambling on, tripping over his words as he spoke to her and avoided her gaze.

"I said it was fine didn't I? There was a situation and you reacted to it, don't sweat it alright?" Cheshire said, her grin on her face.

"Alright." Kurt gave her a sheepish smile, a light blush on his furry face.

"Hey Chesh, I was able to grab some poptarts for you. Sorry I couldn't heat them up for you but well that place is pretty hectic." Kitty bounded out of the kitchen and towards the two teens, two pale poptarts with pink frosting her hands.

"Sweet they're strawberry, my fav. Thanks Kitty." Cheshire gave her roommate a thankful grin as she snatched the food from her hands and began to eat, walking away from the two and towards her room.

"Ah, Ms. Cheshire, do you have a moment?" Cheshire passed one of the professors on the stairs, the blue haired one named Hank or Beast as he informed her when she arrived.

"Um, sure I guess." the girl stopped ascending up the stairs and stared at the blue man before her.

"Well, I overheard the Professor saying that he wanted to ask you a few questions last night and upon me hearing this I offered to go search for you and bring you back to him. Do you mind following me?" Hank asked, a smile on his face that begged the girl to follow him. With a heavy sigh escaping her mouth Cheshire agreed and allowed the man to lead her back down the stairs, towards the bald man's office.

The two arrived outside the man's office. The doors were tall with deep brown wood framing frosted glass and golden handles. Cheshire scoffed at how extravagant it looked and how it showed the amount of money this man really had, as if the giant mansion wasn't enough to show it. Hank knocked on the door and opened it up once they heard a response allowing them inside. Cheshire entered the room to find the bald man behind a giant wooden desk, papers scattered around. He lifted his gaze up when he heard the door close to find Cheshire and Hank in front of him.

"Good morning Hank, Cheshire." he greeted them, setting the papers down.

"Good morning Charles." Hank greeted, a smile on his face.

"Mornin'" was Cheshire's only response to the man. She had avoided the man since she arrived, trying to find somewhere to hind in the giant place. Sometimes the place was the library or outside, or even her own room.

"I'm glad you're here Cheshire, there's some stuff I would like to go over with you and I'm afraid I can't put it off much longer. Thank you Hank, for bringing her to me." Xavier dismissed the man and ushered with his hand for Cheshire to take a seat. She patiently waited as Xavier sorted through the many papers before him until he found the one he wanted.

"So what do you want?" Cheshire asked, not liking that she was back to answering his many questions.

"Well I was thinking about enrolling you into school."

"What?!" Cheshire almost jumped out of her chair at the shock that struck her.

"Calm down, nothing is set in stone. I was thinking it would be good for you to actually have an education, at least as far as high school."

"Why would that be a good idea?" Cheshire asked, crossing her arms.

"Education is important and if you plan on getting a job in the future then you will need a high school diploma." Cheshire's arms didn't uncross and for once she kept her mouth shut. "`So I know that you dropped out of school around 6th grade, did you get any tutoring or anything while locked away?"

"I did, before getting thrown into the serious stuff."

"How far did you get?"

"I don't know like maybe 9th grade. I didn't really try. I know all my basic stuff, anything else is just bull to keep kids busy."

"No, everything you learn is important. Have you ever heard of the saying that knowledge is power?"

"Yeah, I have and I think its bull."

"Well if you don't want to go I won't force you, but if you change your mind I would like to get all the paper work done so it can be pushed through."

"Ugh, fine. I'm not going though and I ain't gonna change my mind."

"No worries, this is just a precautionary." a faint smile played on Xaviar's face, "so what is your last name? Not even the prison had that."

"I don't have one, at least not one that I remember. You might as well make one up for me."

"Alright, um, how old are you? The last age listed is fourteen."

"I'm seventeen, they stopped keeping track."

"Alright, finally you answer that one." Xaviar mumbled under his breath, which caused a large smirk across Cheshire's face.

"Anything else?" she asked, her smirk only growing as she watched the man before her.

"Yes, I need your date of birth."

"Make one up for me, I don't remember that either." Xavier glanced up at the girl, meeting her stare with a question.

"Well then I guess I'll have to do that as well. Last thing and then you may leave. Do you want to get your drivers license?" Cheshire's smile vanished as her eyes widened in shock. A drivers license, what would she need that for? Whenever she was free she just walked everywhere, no need to drive when you have to working feet.

"No, I can walk everywhere." Xavier was stunned by her answer and it showed in his movements as he suddenly dropped the papers in his hands and stared at her, his mouth open.

"Are, are you sure?" he asked, stuttering over his words.

"Of course I'm sure, I wouldn't have said nothin' if I wasn't sure."

"Well, ok then. I want you to think about school though and please let me know if you want to attend or not. The new semester starts in a week." With those final words, Cheshire rose from her seat and walked over to the door. "Oh wait, Cheshire one more thing." his words rang through the room and she looked over her shoulder at him, her hand on the door handle.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I've been observing you while you've been here and I'm curious about something. Why haven't you used your ability or told anyone about it?"

"Simple, I've been waiting for the right time. Not everyone should know everything about me." Cheshire flashed the man a smile before opening the door and leaving.

Cheshire stood outside Xavier's office, gathering her thoughts and trying to figure out what her next step should be.

"Hey Chesh, we're heading to the mall. Do you want to join us?" Kitty's voice sounded from on top of the stairs and Cheshire opened her eyes to find her, Jean, Rouge and Jubalee strolling down the steps towards her.

"Um, sure." Cheshire shrugged her shoulders and followed the girls out towards Jean's van. They all stopped at one of the closets by the doors and grabbed their jackets before stepping outside.

The drive was short, a lot shorter than Cheshire was expecting since it appeared that the institute was way out of town. Though she guessed she shouldn't have been so surprised when riding with a girl that can phase the van through any building or car and Jean, who used her ability to make anyone that could've seen them forget. After Jean found a good spot to park she unlocked the doors and the team of girls headed for the mall.

Cheshire's eyes grew wide as she marveled at the bright building ahead of her. It was decorated from the roof down with twinkling lights, banners and sales posters. Festival sayings greeted the group as they entered the building and allowed Cheshire to get a glimpse of the two story interior.

"This place is huge." Cheshire gasped, her eyes scanning everything they could; from stored with mannequins to people idling chatting by the fountain.

"Its not that big, I've actually seen way bigger." Kitty pitched in, a grin on her face.

"Hey Cheshire, did the professor give you a debit card and a PIN?" Jean asked, flashing Cheshire her own from a deep red wallet.

"Yeah, I've got one and the PIN; but how much is on it?"

"The usual amount that you begin with is around 3000 dollars." Jubalee pitched in, a light blush on her face, "At least, that's what I started out with."

"You're right, Jubalee, everyone starts out with 3 thousand but since Christmas is in a few days Professor gives us an extra thousand to buy gifts for everyone." Jean clarified. Cheshire just stared at them in astonishment. She had four thousand dollars to spend, four thousand; that was more than she had ever had in her entire life.

"Well let's start shopping then. I can feel a whole already burning in my pocket." Cheshire said, a mischievous grin on her face as she headed to the first store she found.

Hours had passed by and Cheshire was sure she had spent most of money, some of it was actually spent on gifts for the other students. She found a pair of pink earings that she thought Kitty would like, that were on sale. She also found a sweat that would match Jean's style for only a few dollars and shirt she thought Kurt would like; the shirt was more of a thank you for the young boy since he saved her from flying toast this morning. The rest of the bags had jewelry, make up and clothes for herself. Cheshire felt sadness creep up her spine when she heard Jean's voice in her head, saying it was time to leave.

Cheshire exited the current clothing store, paying for a sweater before leaving. She was heading towards the escalator when a man suddenly stopped her. He wore a light gray coat with matching pants and a hat. Cheshire noticed a golden watch on his wrist when he grabbed her arm.

"Excuse me miss but you wouldn't happen to be named Cheshire?" he asked, staring into her green eyes with his dark brown ones. Cheshire's throat dried up and she couldn't force out a response to him, so she simply nodded her head. A smile crawled onto his face as he reached into his pocket with his free hand. He freed a white envelope and handed it to her, not letting her arm go until she accepted it. Cheshire took the envelope gingerly and watched as the man released her arm and disappeared in the growing crowd.

"Cheshire, there you are!" The girl turned around to find Kitty running towards her.

"Hey, sorry I was on my way out to meet you guys." Cheshire said, a grin on her face as she slid the envelope into one of the bags. Kitty laughed at Cheshire's response and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the others.

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><p>Cheshire rode in the back seat in silence, thankfully her silence didn't raise any questions since she hardly spoke to anyone. The only person to ask her anything was Kitty, who stopped shortly after learning that Cheshire didn't want to speak. All Cheshire wanted to do was run up to her room and open that envelope. She didn't know who the man was or how he knew her but the pit growing in her stomach told her it wasn't anything good and that it should be dealt with as soon as possible.<p>

After hitting all the red lights, Jean pulled into the mansion's garage and everyone exited with their bags dangling from their arms. Cheshire darted from the van, her bags slightly slowing her down as she avoided everyone and locked her door behind her. She knew Kitty would be dying to show everyone what she bought which would Cheshire a few minutes alone.

After throwing the bags and boxes into the closet and shutting the door, Cheshire sat on her bed; the envelope unopened in front of her. The only writing on the white paper in front of her was her name, written in pink ink with lots of swirls that accented the c's and e's in her name.

Finally Cheshire reached for the envelope, tearing the top off and revealing the post card inside. It was simple card, with a picture of New York city lit up against the night sky and writing in the corner that read ' Best Of Wishes'. Cheshire's eyes squinted in confusion, unsure of why anyone would send her a card of New York when she already lived in the state. She decided to flip the card over, thinking whoever sent this might've written her a message. Her heart filled with dread as she read the words written in bright, neon pink ink.

_Glad you're out. ~Mom_


End file.
